These are the rankings based on the ratings and reception of the live-action Disney Channel shows throughout the year of 2016. This year Disney has declined in ratings and has suffered a huge drop in their range. Keep in mind the lowest-rated Disney Channel sitcom in 2015, Dog With a Blog, had the same, and a sometimes better, range of ratings as the highest rated shows currently.
1. Girl Meets World
| Disney's #1 show is set to finish up its third and possibly final season in January 2017. |
This show has proven to be Disney Channel's most popular show right now with its decent ratings which have been better than a lot of Disney Channel's shows. The show also has a higher level of relevancy and a bigger fanbase than any other of the network's sitcom. In 2016, the show had a year-end ratings average of 1.75 million viewers, the highest-rated episode of the year was the second part of the season 3 premiere, "Girl Meets High School", with 2.23 million viewers.
Although the show has done well on Disney Channel, all three of its remaining episodes of season 4 are set to air in January 2017. The show is yet to be renewed yet and with not many episodes left, it is unlikely that there will be a fourth season. However, the huge GMW fandom have teamed up together to campaign and even start petitions on social media to persuade Disney to pick up the show for another season. Cast members, Rowan Blanchard and August Maturo, have even joined in on the fun hoping that they'll get a few more episodes for the legacy to live on.
2. Liv & Maddie: Cali Style
| Liv & Maddie has changed things up this year, adding Cali Style to the show name for their new season. |
Liv & Maddie is Disney Channel's most successful current show, having been the oldest live-action show on the network, being the 9th out of many Disney sitcoms to get a fourth season, and having passed 80 episodes filmed for the series. However, the ratings have decreased like every Disney show as the year went on. Ratings in the beginning of the year were pretty good for Liv & Maddie, but Liv & Maddie: Cali Style had a huge decrease in ratings with series lows being hit, episode after episode.
The show averaged in 1.62 million viewers in 2016, with the most watched episode being the first episode to premiere this year, "Ridgewood-A-Rooney" with 2.28 million viewers.
The show's successful run is set to come to an end with 80 episodes in early 2016. The fourth and final season has 9 episodes remaining to air, with 4 of them airing in January 2017.
3. Stuck in the Middle
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| Back for Season 2! Disney's newbie show is returning with new episodes this February! |
Disney Channel's semi-new show, Stuck in the Middle, has been a success for the network. Its first season aired from February to July, so it luckily hasn't met the point where Disney ratings really became to decline, which was fall 2016.
The series has averaged with 1.57 million viewers, if you don't count the series premiere which got 2.88 million viewers only due to its Frozen lead-in. If you do count the premiere, the average would be 1.60 million viewers. The highest-rated episode this season, discounting the premiere, was the finale, "Stuck in the Diaz of Our Lives", which reached 2.05 million viewers because of a really good Girl Meets World lead-in.
The sitcom first premiered on February 14, 2016 as the first single-camera sitcom Disney Channel has produced in a while. It is currently on hiatus, but its sophompore season, which got a 21 episode order, is set to return back to the network in February 2017.
4. KC Undercover
| KC Undercover is set to finish up their second season in January, with a third season set to return later in spring. |
KC Undercover has been very inconsistent this year because they began the first half of the year undoubtedly as Disney Channel's highest-rated show. The show spend the first half finishing up its first season in January with the second season returning in March. However, it seemed that when the second season finished the Abby-Erica storyline after 6 episodes, ratings began to go downhill for the show.
Although in August, they picked their ratings back up with some good numbers. It never seemed to go back up in the coming months. With the loss of Liv & Maddie to Friday nights and football season having started, Sunday night of premieres never did well with ratings. KC struggled, as well as Bizaardvark, which aired right with it.
Throughout the year of 2016, the show's ratings average has been 1.46 million viewers. The highest episode was the first episode to premiere this year, "KC and Brett: The Final Chapter, Part 1", with an amazing 2.50 million viewers. Now, ratings have been lower for every show on the network than ever. KC hit their series low on its last episode with only 1.04 million viewers tuning in to watch their holiday special.
Good news for KC Undercover is that they're sticking around for another year! The show has recently been picked up for a third season, with production set to begin in January. The second season of the show is set to conclude on Friday, January 13 at its new time, 7PM!
5. Bunk'd
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| A promotional picture for the second season of the Jessie spin off. |
Bunk'd did not begin the year with the best ratings and obviously due to Disney Channel's decline in ratings, ratings have fell even more. However, due to this decline, Bunk'd has become one of Disney's highest-rated shows this fall.
This season averaged with 1.45 million viewers, with the highest rated episode being their Halloween special, "Camp Kiki-slasher", which got a high 2.00 million viewers with a DCOM lead-out.
On the last weekend of premieres Disney Channel had, Bunk'd had won the entire weeked. Lately is has been beginning to shape out as Disney Channel's highest rated show! Season 2 premiered in August 2016 and is set to take an indefinite hiatus in January 2017. More details will be announced soon to when the show will return will new content.
6. Bizaardvark
| A promotional picture for Disney's newest sitcom. |
Bizaardvark is Disney Channel's newest comedy, added to the network's roster. It follows follows Frankie and Paige, two teenage best friends who post funny songs and comedic videos on the Internet. After hitting 10,000 subscribers on their Vuuugle channel: Bizaardvark, they are accepted into the Vuuugle studios, where they make their videos while also having to share them with other "Vuuuglers".
The show has proven to not be the biggest ratings hit for Disney Channel, with an average of 1.24 million viewers this year. (if you don't count the series premiere) With the series premiere, which received 2.41 million viewers, the average is 1.31 million viewers. The most watched episode this season was the series premiere, but on a normal premiere night, its most watched was only 1.73 million viewers.
Despite the mediocre ratings of the show, Disney Channel has ordered more of the show! Less than a week ago its second season was announced, with production set to commence earlier next year. The show's first season premiere on June 24, 2016 after Disney Channel's 100th DCOM, Adventures In Babysitting. It is set to end on January 27, 2017 at the show's new time, 6:30 PM!
7. Best Friends Whenever
A promotional picture for the sitcom's mini-sized season two.
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Best Friends Whenever is Disney Channel's lowest rated show, mainly this season due to its bad time slots and air dates. The show's first reason didn't do bad in ratings at all, but things went extremely downhill for its short 13-episode second season. The decline was due to two factors: Disney Channel ratings were going downhill for every sitcom and Best Friends Whenever was the only sitcom that aired a week of premieres with long hiatuses in between each other.
The show averaged with 1.21 million viewers this year, with the most watch episode of 2016 being the first Best Friends Whenever episode to air in 2016, "A Time To Double Date", with only 1.63 million viewers.
The show recently aired its season finale, which unfortunately hit a series low with 0.94 million viewers. There has been no announcement of renewal and cancellation yet, but it looks like the show is highly due for cancellation. More details regarding the show's future are set to be announced in the new year. Fingers crossed for season 2!
